Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
  • G05D1/0011—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots associated with a remote control arrangement
  • G05D1/0027—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots associated with a remote control arrangement involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
  • G05D1/20—Control system inputs
  • G05D1/22—Command input arrangements
  • G05D1/221—Remote-control arrangements
  • G05D1/227—Handing over between remote control and on-board control; Handing over between remote control arrangements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60R25/00—Fittings or systems for preventing or indicating unauthorised use or theft of vehicles
  • B60R25/20—Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off
  • B60R25/24—Means to switch the anti-theft system on or off using electronic identifiers containing a code not memorised by the user
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
  • G05D1/20—Control system inputs
  • G05D1/22—Command input arrangements
  • G05D1/221—Remote-control arrangements
  • G05D1/222—Remote-control arrangements operated by humans
  • G05D1/224—Output arrangements on the remote controller, e.g. displays, haptics or speakers
  • G05D1/2244—Optic
  • G05D1/2247—Optic providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
  • G05D1/20—Control system inputs
  • G05D1/22—Command input arrangements
  • G05D1/221—Remote-control arrangements
  • G05D1/225—Remote-control arrangements operated by off-board computers
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D1/00—Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots
  • G05D1/80—Arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure
  • G05D1/81—Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G08—SIGNALLING
  • G08C—TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR MEASURED VALUES, CONTROL OR SIMILAR SIGNALS
  • G08C17/00—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
  • G08C17/02—Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link using a radio link
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
  • H04W12/00—Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
  • H04W12/08—Access security
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D2101/00—Details of software or hardware architectures used for the control of position
  • G05D2101/10—Details of software or hardware architectures used for the control of position using artificial intelligence [AI] techniques
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
  • G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
  • G05D2111/00—Details of signals used for control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles
  • G05D2111/30—Radio signals
  • G05D2111/32—Radio signals transmitted via communication networks, e.g. cellular networks or wireless local area networks [WLAN]

Definitions

• Embodiments herein relate in general to safe remote operation of a vehicle.
• embodiments herein relate to an on-board control unit of a vehicle and a method therein for enabling a safe operation of the vehicle.
• the embodiments herein also relate to an off-board control station for enabling a safe operation of a vehicle.
• embodiments herein also relate to a computer program product and carrier.
• Remotely operated equipment such as, for example, remote controlled machines with camera/video feedback to an operator
• Remotely operated equipment are often operated with the operator located far away from the location of the remotely operated equipment.
• the remote control system is arranged to control multiple different remote controlled machines, it may be critical to ensure that the remote controlled machine which an operator is under the impression that he is currently controlling is the remote controlled machine actually being controlled.
• the object is achieved by a method performed by an on-board control unit of a vehicle for enabling a safe operation of the vehicle.
• the method comprise receiving, via a wireless communication interface, a second activation code from an off-board control station capable of remotely operating the vehicle.
• the method also comprise activating the vehicle for operation in case the received second activation code correspond to a first activation code comprised in the on board control unit.
• the method may comprise receiving, from the off-board control station, information indicating that the vehicle is to be activated for operation. This enables the on-board control to receive an indication from the off-board control station that an operator is requesting the vehicle to be activated.
• the method may also comprise transmitting the first activation code to the off-board control station in response to the received information.
• transmitting of the first activation code may comprise embedding a visual representation of the first activation code in camera images obtained from one or more on-board cameras, and transmitting the camera images comprising the visual representation of the first activation code to the off-board control station. This allows the first activation code to be unambiguously linked to the camera images from the vehicle in a non-separable manner; thus, providing a visual assurance to an operator viewing the camera images of the activation code of vehicle from which the camera images are originating.
• the method may also comprise transmitting, to the off- board control station, information indicating that the vehicle has been activated for operation. This provides an assurance to the operator that the vehicle has actually been activated.
• the method may comprise activating the autonomous vehicle to begin performing one or more autonomous operations.
• the method may comprise activating the remote-controlled vehicle to be remotely operated from the off-board control station.
• the object is achieved by an on-board control unit of a vehicle for enabling a safe operation of the vehicle.
• the on board control unit is configured to receive, via a wireless communication interface, a second activation code from an off-board control station capable of remotely operating the vehicle.
• the on-board control unit is also configured to activate the vehicle for operation in case the received second activation code correspond to a first activation code comprised in the on-board control unit.
• the on-board control unit may be configured to receive, from the off-board control station, information indicating that the vehicle is to be activated for operation, and transmit the first activation code to the off-board control station in response to the received information.
• the on-board control unit may be configured to embed a visual representation of the first activation code in camera images obtained from one or more on-board cameras, and transmit the camera images comprising the visual representation of the first activation code to the off-board control station.
• the on-board control unit may be configured to transmit, to the off-board control station, information indicating that the vehicle has been activated for operation.
• the on-board control unit may be configured to activate the autonomous vehicle to begin performing one or more autonomous operations.
• the on-board control unit may be configured to activate the remote-controlled vehicle to be remotely operated from the off-board remote control station.
• the object is achieved by a method performed by an off-board control station for enabling a safe operation of a vehicle. The method comprise receiving, via a wireless communication interface, a first activation code from an on-board control unit.
• the method also comprise indicating the received first activation code to an operator of the off-board control station. Further, the method comprise receiving manual input indicating a second activation code from the operator of the off-board control station. Also, the method comprise transmitting, via the wireless communication interface, the received second activation code to the on-board control unit of the vehicle.
• the method may comprise receiving, from the operator of the off-board control station, manual input indicating that the vehicle is to be activated for operation.
• the method may comprise transmitting, to the on-board control unit, information indicating that the vehicle is to be activated for operation.
• the method may also comprise receiving, via the wireless communication interface, information from the on board control unit indicating that the vehicle has been activated for operation.
• the receiving of the information may comprise receiving camera images originating from one or more on-board cameras of the vehicle comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code.
• the indicating of the received first activation code may comprise displaying the camera images comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code to the operator of the off- board control station.
• an off-board control station for enabling a safe operation of a vehicle.
• the off-board control station being configured to receive, via a wireless communication interface, a first activation code from an on-board control unit.
• the off-board control station is also configured to indicate the received first activation code to an operator of the off-board control station.
• the off-board control station is configured to receive manual input indicating a second activation code from the operator of the off-board control station.
• the off-board control station is configured to transmit, via the wireless communication interface, the received second activation code to the on-board control unit of the vehicle.
• the off-board control station may also be configured to receive, from the operator of the off-board control station, manual input indicating that the vehicle is to be activated for operation.
• the off-board control station may also be configured to transmit, to the on-board control unit, information indicating that the vehicle is to be activated for operation.
• the off-board control station may be configured to receive, via the wireless communication interface, information from the on-board control unit indicating that the vehicle has been activated for operation.
• the off-board control station may be configured to receive the first activation code by receiving camera images originating from one or more on-board cameras of the vehicle comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code.
• the off-board control station may be configured to indicate the first activation code by displaying the camera images comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code to the operator of the off-board control station.
• the object is achieved by a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed in a processing circuitry, cause the processing circuitry to carry out the method described above.
• the object is achieved by a carrier containing the computer program described above, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal, or computer-readable storage medium.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle and a system for remote operation of the vehicle according to some embodiments
• Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating embodiments of a method in an on-board control unit
• Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating embodiments of a method in an off-board control station
• Fig. 4 is a signalling diagram illustrating embodiments of an on-board control unit and an off-board control station
• Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a display of camera images according to some embodiments.
• Fig. 6 is a block diagram depicting embodiments of an on-board control unit
• Fig. 7 is a block diagram depicting embodiments of an off-board control station.
• Fig. 1 shows an example of a system 10 for remote operation of a vehicle 110.
• the vehicle 110 may, for, example, be a working machine 110, such as, an excavator, fork lift, loader, hauler, etc., but may be any remote operated vehicle.
• the vehicle 110 may comprise a working tool 111.
• the working tool 111 may be any of a large variety of different attachable working tools, such as, e.g. loader buckets, buckets of different sizes, fork lifts, etc.
• the working tool 111 may be arranged to be connected or attached to the vehicle 110 and operated therefrom.
• the vehicle 110 is a loader comprising a tool 111 in the form of a bucket to, e.g. move a pile of loose material 150.
• the vehicle 110 also comprise an on-board control unit 114, at least one camera 112, 113, and at least one antenna 115.
• the on-board controller 114 may be connected to and arranged to communicate with the at least one camera 112, 113, e.g. wirelessly or by wire. Via the antenna 115, the on-board control unit 114 may receive signals remotely from an off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 is adapted to be arranged on the vehicle 110.
• the on-board control unit 114 is also adapted to receive signals from the off-board control station 100 remotely controlling the operation of the vehicle 110.
• the on-board control unit 114 is arranged to obtain camera images from at least one camera 112, 113 on the vehicle 110.
• the off-board control station 100 may be connected via a communication link 120 to a communications server 106.
• the communications server 106 may be part of a wireless communications network 105 arranged for wireless communication over an air interface with the antenna 115 and on board control unit 114.
• the air interface may, for example, be provided by a telecommunications network, such as, e.g. a 3g/4g/LTE/5g/6g network or other future networks, and/or by a local wireless network, such as, e.g. WiFi, etc.
• This allows the off- board control station 100 to communicate with the on-board control unit 114 located on the vehicle 110.
• the off-board control station 100 may also be arranged in, or connected to, a remote control interface 5.
• the remote control interface 5 may comprise a manual work station 102 and at least one display 11.
• the off-board control station 100 may be arranged to communicate with the manual work station 102 and the at least one display 11 over one or more communication links 130.
• the embodiments herein for enabling a safe operation of a vehicle 110 are described with respect to the example of working machines according to Fig. 1, the embodiments herein should not be considered restricted to this particular type of vehicle but may also be used in other types of vehicles, such as, e.g. a conventional passenger cars, or heavy-duty vehicles, such as., e.g. semi-trailer vehicles or trucks for cargo transport.
• the on-board control station 110 and the off-board control station 100 are described below in more detail in reference to Figs. 2-6.
• an operator may, for example, aggressively move his controls in order to see a reaction from the remote controlled vehicle in the camera or video feed, since the operator is not witnessing any remote operations being carried out via the camera or video feed in response to the operator’s control input. This may cause damages to the remote controlled vehicle (or property and/or people in its vicinity) that is actually receiving the control input, and is thus moving accordingly.
• This issues are addressed in the embodiments of the on-board control unit 114 and off-board control station 100 described below with reference to Figs. 2-6.
• One particular use case of the embodiments herein is for tele-operated vehicles, such as, e.g. trucks, excavators, wheel loaders and haulers, etc.
• vehicles may be operated in within a system or fleet with a large number of vehicles and several different remote control interfaces that may be located at several different locations.
• the number of remote control interfaces does not necessarily correspond to the number of vehicles.
• the vehicle needs to be able to switch remote control station, and likewise, the remote control stations need to be able to switch between different vehicles.
• Fig. 2 is an illustrated example of actions, steps or operations which may be taken by the on-board control unit 114 on board the vehicle 110 in the system 10 shown in Fig. 1.
• the method may comprise the following actions, steps or operations.
• the on-board control unit 114 may receive, from the off- board control station 100, information indicating that the vehicle 110 is to be activated for operation.
• This may, for example, comprise beginning to transmit camera images, i.e. a camera or video feed, from one or more on board cameras 112, 113 of the vehicle 110 to the off-board control station 100.
• the off- board control station 100 may then display the received camera images to the operator via the remote control interface 5 of the off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 may transmit a first activation code 311 to the off-board control station 100 in response to the received information.
• the on-board control unit 114 may send an individual code or activation key representing the vehicle 110, such as, e.g. a three-digit machine identity number or identity (ID), to the off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 may first embed a visual representation of the first activation code 311 in camera images obtained from one or more on-board cameras 112, 113. This means that individual code representing the vehicle 110 is transformed from a digital representation into a visual representation, i.e.
• the on-board control unit 114 may then transmit the camera images comprising the visual representation of the first activation code 311 to the off-board control station 100. This means that the individual code representing the vehicle 110 is only transmitted in the form of image data to the off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 receives, via a wireless communication interface 511 , a second activation code 312 from an off-board control station 100 capable of remotely operating the vehicle 110.
• a second activation code 312 may, for example, be digital information or a digital representation of manual inputs received from the operator working at the remote control interface 5 of the off-board control station 100.
• the operator may manually input information corresponding to the visual representation of the individual code of the vehicle 110 embedded in the camera images that is being presented via the remote control interface 5 of the off-board control station 100.
• the wireless communications interface 511 is described in more detail with reference to Fig. 5.
• Action 204 After receiving the second activation code 312 in Action 203, the on board control unit 114 activates the vehicle 110 for operation in case the received second activation code correspond to a first activation code 311 comprised in the on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit 114 has confirmed that the received second activation code 312 is corresponding to, e.g. is identical to, the first activation code 311, e.g. by comparing the digital information representing the received second activation code with the digital information representing the first activation code 311 comprised in the on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit may safely start up the remote control of the vehicle 110 to enable the operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off-board control station 100 to remotely operate the vehicle 110.
• the on-board control unit 114 will ensure that the vehicle 110 does not respond to any other commands sent from the remote control interface 5 of the off-board control station 100. This means that the vehicle 110 cannot be moved until the operator has confirmed that the camera images, i.e. image or video stream/feed, used for remote motion control of the vehicle 110 corresponds to the camera images being sent from the vehicle 110.
• the on-board control unit 114 may initiate different operations depending on which type of vehicle 110 it is arranged in. According to some embodiments and in case the vehicle 110 is an autonomous vehicle, the on-board control unit 114 may activate the autonomous vehicle to begin performing one or more autonomous operations. This means that the on-board control unit 114 may be used to remotely start up a vehicle for autonomous operation, by giving the operator of the fleet of different autonomous vehicles a safe way of visually inspecting the surroundings of each vehicle before starting autonomous operation. Alternatively, in some embodiments and in case the vehicle 110 is a remote-controlled vehicle, the on-board control unit 114 may activate the remote- controlled vehicle to be remotely operated from the off-board control station 100. This means that the on-board control unit 114 may be used to remotely start up a vehicle for remote controlled operation, by giving the operator of the fleet of different remote controlled vehicles a safe way of controlling the motion of each vehicle without any risk of remote controlling the wrong vehicle.
• the on-board control unit 114 may transmit, to the off-board control station 100, information indicating that the vehicle 110 has been activated for operation. This means that the on-board control unit 114 may inform the off-board control station 100, and thus the operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off-board control station 100, that the vehicle 100 is now being operated via the off-board control station 100. In some embodiments, this information may also be sent by changing the embedded visual representation of the individual vehicle code, i.e. the first activation code 311, in the camera images from the one or more on-board cameras 112, 113 of the vehicle 110. For example, a background field in the visual representation may change from red to green once the on-board control unit 114 has activated the vehicle 110 for operation.
• Fig. 3 is an illustrated example of actions, steps or operations which may be taken by the off-board control station 100 in the system 10 shown in Fig. 1.
• the method may comprise the following actions, steps or operations.
• the off-board control station 100 may initially receive, from an operator of the off-board control station 100, manual input indicating that the vehicle 110 is to be activated for operation. This means, for example, that an operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off-board control station 100 may indicate or inform the off-board control station 100 that the operator requests that the vehicle 110 is to be activated and start operating. Action 302. After receiving the manual input in Action 301, the off-board control station 100 may transmit, to an on-board control unit 114, information indicating that the vehicle 110 is to be activated for operation. This means, for example, that the off-board control station 100 may, in response to the request from the operator, indicate or inform the on-board control unit 114 of the vehicle 110 that an operator requests that the vehicle 110 is to be activated and start operating.
• the off-board control station 100 receives, via a wireless communication interface 611 , a first activation code 311 from an on-board control unit 114.
• a first activation code 311 from an on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit 114 of the vehicle 110 may, e.g. in response to the information in Action 302, transmit an individual code or activation key representing the vehicle 110 to the off-board control station 100.
• the individual code or activation key i.e. the first activation code 311, may, for example, be a three-digit machine identity number or identity (ID) of the vehicle 110.
• the reception may be performed by the off-board control station 100 by receiving camera images originating from one or more on-board cameras 112, 113 of the vehicle 110 comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code 311.
• the off-board control station 100 will then also receive the first activation code 311 because the first activation code will be comprised in the camera images in the form of image data embedded within the camera images.
• This is advantageous since it will ensure that the first activation code and the camera images are non-separable and fully integrated with each other. This will result in that the first activation code will uniquely assert that the camera images is specifically originating from the vehicle 110, i.e. tag the camera images emanating from the on-board cameras 112, 113 of the vehicle 110.
• the wireless communications interface 611 is described in more detail with reference to Fig. 6.
• the off- board control station 100 After receiving the first activation code 311 in Action 303, the off- board control station 100 indicates the received first activation code 311 to an operator of the off-board control station. This means, for example, that the off-board control station 100 may present the first activation code 311 to an operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off-board control station 100, thus providing a confirmation to the operator that the operator that he is attempting to activate a specific vehicle, i.e. the vehicle 110. In some embodiments, the indication may be performed by the off-board control station 100 by displaying the camera images comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code 311 to the operator of the off-board control station 100.
• the operator may be presented with an immediate and non-ambiguous confirmation that the camera images that is currently being viewed by the operator is actually originating from the on-board cameras 112, 113 of the vehicle 110.
• the first activation code 311 may also be displayed to the operator via a separate display or indication device, and not necessarily together with the camera images on the same display.
• the off-board control station 100 receives manual input indicating a second activation code 312 from the operator of the off-board control station. This means, for example, that an operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off-board control station 100 may provide the off-board control station 100 with a second activation code 312 corresponding to the first activation code 311 indicated in Action 304.
• the off-board control station 100 After receiving the manual input in Action 305, the off-board control station 100 transmits, via the wireless communication interface 611 , the received second activation code 312 to the on-board control unit 114 of the vehicle 110.
• the off-board control station 100 may transmit the manual input, i.e. second activation code 312, from the operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off- board control station 100 that the operator has inputted in response to being presented with the first activation code 311.
• the off-board control station 100 may receive, via the wireless communication interface, information from the on-board control unit 114 indicating that the vehicle 110 has been activated for operation. This means, for example, that if the manual input, i.e. second activation code 312, from the operator working at a remote control interface 5 of an off-board control station 100 is determined by the on board control unit 114 to correspond to the first activation code 311 in the on-board control unit 114, then the on-board control unit 114 may provide information back to the off-board control station 100 confirming the activation of the vehicle 110.
• Fig. 4 shows a signalling diagram illustrating embodiments of the on-board control unit 114 and the off-board control station 100 in a system 10.
• an operator working at a remote control interface 5 connected to the off-board control station 100 may request remote control of the vehicle 110.
• the off-board control station 100 may request remote control of the vehicle 110 from the on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit 114 may continuously transmit camera images, i.e. stream images or video received from the one or more on-board cameras 112, 113, to the off-board control station 100 which may display the camera images to the operator via the display 11 of the remote control interface 5 connected to the off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 may embed a visual representation of the first activation code 311 of the vehicle 110 in the received camera images from the one or more on-board cameras 112, 113.
• the on-board control unit 114 may transmit the camera images comprising the embedded visual representation of the first activation code 311 to the off-board control station 100 which may display the camera images to the operator via the display 11 of the remote control interface 5 connected to the off-board control station 100.
• Action 406 In response to viewing the camera images via the display 11, an operator may via the remote control interface 5 connected to the off-board control station 100 provide manual inputs corresponding to a second activation code 312.
• the off-board control station 100 may transmit information indicating the second activation code 312 to the on board control unit 114.
• the on board control unit 114 may compare the received second activation code 312 with the first activation code 311 of the vehicle 110. If the received second activation code 312 match the first activation code 311, the on-board control unit 114 may activate the vehicle 110 for remote control by the operator working at the remote control interface 5 connected to the off-board control station 100. If the received second activation code 312 does not match the first activation code 311, the on-board control unit 114 will not activate the vehicle 110 for remote control. Action 409. In case the on-board control unit 114 activated the vehicle 110 for remote control in Action 408, the on-board control unit 114 may transmit information indicating the activation of the vehicle 110 to the off-board control station 100. The off- board control station 100 may thus indicate this to the operator, e.g. via the display 11 of the remote control interface 5 connected to the off-board control station 100.
• Fig. 5 illustrates an example of a display 11 presenting camera images from the on-board cameras 112, 113 to an operator working at a remote control interface 5 connected to an off-board control station 100.
• the off-board control station 100 may control the display 11 to present a first graphics 301 allowing the operator to enter manual input indicating which vehicle the operator is requesting to control, such as, the vehicle 110.
• the off-board control station 100 may send information to the on-board control unit 114 of the requested vehicle, e.g. the vehicle 110.
• this stage may be skipped and start with stage B below.
• the on-board control unit 114 may, e.g. in response to the information from the off-board control station 100, transmit camera images from the on board cameras 112, 113 to the off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 may also embed a visual, graphical representation of a first activation code 311 of the vehicle 110 into the camera images being sent to the off-board control station 100.
• the visual, graphical representation of the first activation code 311 may comprise a colouring indicating that the vehicle 110 has not yet been activated, such as, e.g. red.
• the off-board control station 100 may display the received camera images comprising the visual, graphical representation of the first activation code 311 on the display 11 to the operator.
• the off-board control station 100 may control the display 11 to present a second graphics 302 allowing the operator to enter manual input corresponding to the first activation code 311, i.e. a second activation code 312.
• the off-board control station 100 may then send information to the on-board control unit 114 indicating the second activation code 312.
• the on-board control unit 114 may in response to the second activation code 312 from the off-board control station 100 activate the vehicle 110 in case the received second activation code 312 correspond to the first activation code 311 in the on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit 114 may also change the visual, graphical representation of the first activation code 311 to, for example, comprise a different colouring indicating that the vehicle 110 has been activated, such as, e.g. green.
• an on-board control unit 114 of the vehicle 110 may comprise the following arrangement depicted in Fig. 6.
• Fig. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of embodiments of the on board control unit 114.
• known conventional features of an on-board control unit 114 such as, for example, a connection to a power source, e.g. a battery or an electric grid, may be assumed to be comprised in the on-board control unit 114 but is not shown or described in any further detail in regards to Fig. 6.
• the on-board control unit 114 may comprise a processing circuitry 610 and a memory 620.
• the processing circuitry 610 may be arranged to execute instruction sets stored in the memory 620.
• the processing circuitry 610 may also comprise wireless communications interface 611.
• the wireless communications interface 611 may comprise RF circuitry and baseband processing circuitry capable of transmitting and receiving a radio signal in a wireless communications network, e.g. a telecommunications network.
• the wireless communications interface 611 may also be configured to use WLAN, UWB or Bluetooth wireless communications for the wireless communication.
• the wireless communications interface 611 may also be arranged to be connected to and use an antenna 115 for the transmissions.
• the antenna 115 may be part of the on-board control unit 114 or located on the vehicle 110.
• the wireless communications interface 611 may further be adapted to receive camera images, i.e. image or video feeds, from one or more on-board cameras 112, 113. This may be performed wirelessly or via one or more wired connections (as shown in Fig. 6).
• some or all of the functionality described in the embodiments above as being performed by the on-board control unit 114 may be provided by the processing circuitry 610 executing instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, such as, e.g. the memory 620 shown in Fig. 6.
• Alternative embodiments of the on-board control unit 114 may comprise additional components, such as, for example, an embedding module 612 and an activating module 613, whereby each module may be configured and responsible for providing its dedicated functionality to support the embodiments described herein.
• the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 is configured to, or may comprise a wireless communications interface 611 configured to, receive, via a wireless communication interface 611 , a second activation code 312 from an off-board control station 100 capable of remotely operating the vehicle 110.
• the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 is also configured to, or may comprise the activating module 612 configured to, activate the vehicle 110 for operation in case the received second activation code 312 correspond to a first activation code 311 comprised in the on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may be configured to, or may comprise a wireless communications interface 611 configured to, receive, from the off-board control station 100, information indicating that the vehicle 110 is to be activated for operation. In this case, the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may be configured to, or may comprise a wireless communications interface 611 configured to, transmit the first activation code 311 to the off-board control station 100 in response to the received information.
• the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may be configured to, or may comprise the embedding module 612 configured to, embed a visual representation of the first activation code 311 in camera images obtained from one or more on-board cameras 112, 113. In this case, the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may be configured to, or may comprise a wireless communications interface 611 configured to, transmit the camera images comprising the visual representation of the first activation code 311 to the off-board control station 100.
• the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may be configured to, or may comprise a wireless communications interface 611 configured to, transmit, to the off-board control station 100, information indicating that the vehicle 110 has been activated for operation. Further, in some embodiments, the on board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may also configured to, or may comprise the activating module 612 configured to, in case the vehicle 110 is an autonomous vehicle, activate the autonomous vehicle to begin performing one or more autonomous operations.
• the on-board control unit 114 or processing circuitry 610 may also configured to, or may comprise the activating module 612 configured to, in case the vehicle 110 is a remote-controlled vehicle, activate the remote-controlled vehicle to be remotely operated from the off-board remote control station.
• the embodiments for enabling a safe operation of the vehicle 110 described above may be at least partly implemented through one or more processors, such as the processing circuitry 610 in the on-board control unit 114 depicted in Fig. 6, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein.
• the program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code or code means for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the processing circuitry 610 in the on-board control unit 114.
• the computer program code may e.g. be provided as pure program code in the on-board control unit 114 or on a server and downloaded to the on-board control unit 114.
• the on-board control unit 114 may in some embodiments be implemented as computer programs stored in a memory, e.g. in the memory 620 in Fig. 6, for execution by processors or processing modules, e.g. the processing circuitry 610 in the on-board control unit 114 of Fig. 6.
• processing circuitry 610 and the memory 620 may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware, e.g. stored in a memory, that when executed by the one or more processors such as the processing circuitry 610 perform as described above.
• processors as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).
• ASIC application-specific integrated circuit
• SoC system-on-a-chip
• an off-board control station 100 may comprise the following arrangement depicted in Fig. 7.
• Fig. 7 shows a schematic block diagram of embodiments of the off-board control station 100. It should also be noted that, although not shown in Fig. 7, known conventional features of an off-board control station 100, such as, for example, a connection to a power source, e.g. a battery or an electric grid, may be assumed to be comprised in the off- board control station 100 but is not shown or described in any further detail in regards to Fig. 7.
• the off-board control station 100 may comprise a processing circuitry 710 and a memory 720.
• the processing circuitry 710 may be arranged to execute instruction sets stored in the memory 720.
• the processing circuitry 710 may also comprise wireless communications interface 711.
• the wireless communications interface 711 may, for example, a communications interface or module connected via a communication link 120 to a communications server 106 of a wireless communications network 105 (as shown in Fig. 1). It should however be noted that other wireless network configurations also may be implemented in the off-board control station 100, wherein the wireless communications interface 711 may also be configured to use WLAN, UWB or Bluetooth wireless communications for the wireless communication.
• the wireless communications interface 711 may further be adapted to receive camera images, i.e.
• the off-board control station 100 may be provided by the processing circuitry 710 executing instructions stored on a computer- readable medium, such as, e.g. the memory 720 shown in Fig. 7.
• Alternative embodiments of the off-board control station 100 may comprise additional components, such as, for example, an indication module 712, whereby the indication module 712 is configured and responsible for providing its dedicated functionality to support the embodiments described herein.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 is configured to, or may comprise the wireless communications interface 711 configured to, receive, via a wireless communication interface 711, a first activation code 311 from an on-board control unit 114.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 is also configured to, or may comprise the indication module 712 configured to, indicate the received first activation code 311 to an operator of the off-board control station 100.
• the off- board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 is configured to, or may comprise the wireless communications interface 711 configured to, receive manual input indicating a second activation code 312 from the operator of the off-board control station 100.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 is configured to, or may comprise the wireless communications interface 711 configured to, transmit, via the wireless communication interface 711, the received second activation code 312 to the on-board control unit 114 of the vehicle 110.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 may be configured to, or may comprise the wireless communications interface 711 configured to, receive, from the operator of the off-board control station 100, manual input indicating that the vehicle 110 is to be activated for operation.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 may be configured to, or may comprise the wireless communications interface 711 configured to, transmit, to the on-board control unit 114, information indicating that the vehicle 110 is to be activated for operation.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 may be configured to, or may comprise thewireless communications interface 711 configured to, receive, via the wireless communication interface 711, information from the on-board control unit 114 indicating that the vehicle 110 has been activated for operation.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 may be configured to, or may comprise the wireless communications interface 711 configured to, receive the first activation code 311 by receiving camera images originating from one or more on-board cameras 112, 113 of the vehicle 110 comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code 311.
• the off-board control station 100 or processing circuitry 710 may be configured to, or may comprise the indication module 712 configured to, indicate the first activation code 311 by displaying the camera images comprising an embedded visual representation of the first activation code 311 to the operator of the off- board control station 100. In some embodiments, this may be performed using a display 11 connected to the off-board control station 100.
• the embodiments for enabling a safe operation of a vehicle 110 described above may be at least partly implemented through one or more processors, such as the processing circuitry 710 in the off-board control station 100 depicted in Fig. 7, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein.
• the program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code or code means for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the processing circuitry 710 in the off-board control station 100.
• the computer program code may e.g. be provided as pure program code in the off-board control station 100 or on a server and downloaded to the off-board control station 100.
• the off-board control station 100 may in some embodiments be implemented as computer programs stored in a memory, e.g. in the memory 720 in Fig. 7, for execution by processors or processing modules, e.g. the processing circuitry 710 in the off-board control station 100 of Fig. 7.
• processing circuitry 710 and the memory 720 may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and/or one or more processors configured with software and/or firmware, e.g. stored in a memory, that when executed by the one or more processors such as the processing circuitry 710 perform as described above.
• processors as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).
• ASIC application-specific integrated circuit
• SoC system-on-a-chip
• a computer-readable medium may include removable and non-removable storage devices including, but not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVD), etc.
• program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types.
• Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures and program modules represent examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes.

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• 2021
  • 2021-07-01 US US18/574,512 patent/US20240319734A1/en active Pending
  • 2021-07-01 CN CN202180099873.0A patent/CN117597643A/zh active Pending
  • 2021-07-01 EP EP21745693.8A patent/EP4363940A1/en active Pending
  • 2021-07-01 WO PCT/EP2021/068273 patent/WO2023274550A1/en active Application Filing
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